Playa Chikitu

Playa Chikitu is located on the northeast coast of Bonaire. The beach is also written as Playa Chikitu Beach and is situated within Washington Slagbaai National Park (WSNP). "Playa Chikitu" is Papiamento for "small beach." However, the name might not be entirely accurate, as the beach is actually quite large.

Just take a moment to enjoy the stunning view over Playa Chikitu.

What Does Playa Chikitu Look Like?

Playa Chikitu is not only a breathtakingly beautiful beach, but it also holds immense ecological value. It is the most important nesting beach for Bonaire’s green sea turtles. The beach consists of a strip of white sand nestled between two towering limestone cliffs. To the west, the crystal-clear ocean beckons, while to the east, Playa Chikitu transitions into natural sand dunes.

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Tip! Lagadishi walking trail
Do you want to see how beautiful Playa Chikitu is with your own eyes? Park your car at the park entrance and hike the Lagadishi Walking Trail. It’s a scenic trail that takes about two hours to walk. Along the way you’ll pass the stunning Playa Chikitu and the Suplado blowhole.

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Private or Public?

Playa Chikitu is a public beach.

What are the activities at Playa Chikitu

• Sunbathing
• Picnicking
• Enjoy the peace and view

Unfortunately, you cannot enter the sea here.

Playa Chikitu is one of the most beautiful beaches on Bonaire. The powdery white sand seamlessly transitions into the turquoise-colored Caribbean Sea, which creates stunning waves. It is incredibly tempting to jump into the ocean for a swim, snorkel, or dive. However, entering the sea at Playa Chikitu is strictly prohibited. This area is known for extremely dangerous currents that can pull unsuspecting swimmers out into the open ocean, leading to highly unsafe and life-threatening situations.

Accommodations

None

Facilities

None

Accessibility

Playa Chikitu is accessible by car or mountain bike. The WSNP is blessed with two sand roads: a green route (15 miles) and a yellow route (22 miles). Since both are one-way roads, they must be completed in full to exit the park. There is ample parking available at Playa Chikitu.

Sea Turtles

In addition to the green sea turtle (*Papiamentu*: turtuga blanku), four other species of sea turtles can be found in the waters of Bonaire: the hawksbill turtle (*Papiamentu*: karet), the loggerhead turtle (*Papiamentu*: kawama), the leatherback turtle (*Papiamentu*: drikil), and the olive ridley turtle (*Papiamentu*: turtuga bastardo). These prehistoric-looking marine reptiles visit the Dutch diving island to forage and nest.

The hawksbill turtle feeds on sponges. The loggerhead turtle primarily eats animal matter, including crabs, shrimp, fish, jellyfish, sponges, mollusks, and echinoderms, with a small portion of its diet consisting of plant material such as seaweed and brown algae. The leatherback turtle feeds on jellyfish and related soft-bodied marine animals. The olive ridley turtle mainly consumes animal matter like snails, jellyfish, fish, crabs, shrimp, and bivalves, but it can also switch to a plant-based diet. The green sea turtle grazes in Bonaire’s abundant seagrass beds.

Playa Chikitu is beautifully located in Washington Slagbaai National Park.

The seagrass beds of Lac Bay are the best foraging grounds for the green sea turtle in the entire Caribbean. Nowhere else is the growth rate of the green sea turtle higher than in this shallow lagoon in the southeast of Bonaire. In the Caribbean, green sea turtles grow at an average rate of 1.2 inches per year. In Lac Bay, the average growth rate is 3.1 inches per year. That's nearly three times as fast! The number of green sea turtles in Lac Bay is estimated at 250, while the total green sea turtle population on Bonaire is approximately 2,000. The seagrass beds of Lac Bay must be protected, but they are highly vulnerable. In recent years they have been affected by an invasive seagrass species (Halophila stipulacea). Halophila stipulacea is not eaten by the green sea turtle but does displace the edible seagrass species.

The hawksbill turtle, loggerhead turtle, green sea turtle and leatherback turtle lay eggs on the beaches of Bonaire, while the olive ridley turtle does not. The olive ridley is a wandering species that rarely appears in Bonairean waters. The most important nesting beaches on Bonaire are those of Klein Bonaire. The beaches of this small island have the second-highest concentrations of nesting hawksbill and loggerhead turtles in the southern Caribbean archipelago, only Panama's beaches have higher concentrations. Each year, between 30 and 50 hawksbill turtle nests and between 10 and 20 loggerhead turtle nests are laid on the beaches of Klein Bonaire. On Bonaire’s main island beaches, around 20 nests are laid annually by hawksbill turtles, loggerhead turtles and green sea turtles.

Playa Chikitu is considered the most important nesting beach for Bonaire's green sea turtles. Every year the first green sea turtles arrive at Playa Chikitu in June to begin nesting. Around that time, volunteer beachkeepers from Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire (STCB) patrol Playa Chikitu. The beachkeepers collect important data, assist in excavating emerging nests, and remove beach debris that could obstruct nesting females and hatchlings crawling out of their eggs.

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